Finish applicator for filament bundles

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for applying liquid finish to a traveling filament bundle is provided in which the filament bundle is surrounded during finish application for better control and uniformity of application, while threading of the apparatus is readily allowed as well as disassembly of the components for cleaning.

Pierce FINISH APPLICATOR FOR BUNDLES [75] Inventor: John H. Pierce,Charlotte, N.C. [73] Assignee: R. H. Bouligny, lnc., Charlotte, NC.

[22] Filed: May 4, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 250,234

[52] 0.8. Ci. 118/420 [51] Int. Cl. 1305c 3/12 [58] Field of Search118/234, 420

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,787,980 4/1957 McDermott118/420 X QUENCH TUBE AT SPlNNERETTE [451 Aug. 28, 1973 9/1964 Aumen118/420 X 3,485,210 12/1969 Warren.... 118/420 3,589,332 6/1971 Dinse118/234 X Primary Examiner-Louis K. Rimrodt Attorney-Channing L.Richards, Dalbert U. Shefte et al. v

[ ABSTRACT Apparatus for applying liquid finish to a traveling filaofthe components for cleaning.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures FlLAMENT LINE .7

SUPPLY HEADER PUMP DRIVE GEAR GODET ROLLS BOBBIN DRIVE PACKAGE'Pmimcnwdza Ian 3754.530

SHEEI l 0f '2 3a 42 I 2 WM '2 l v a I f X 46' 40 44 /|0 QUENCH TUBE ATSPINNERETTE 0 Q 26 Fig I f FILAMENT LINE \g SUPPLY HEADER f 52 60 PUMPDRIVE 62 GEAR FINISH APPLICATOR METERING PUMP TRAVERSE CA 20 GODET ROLLSBOBBIN DRIVE PACKAGE 3 FINISH APPLICATOR FOR FILAMENT BUNDLES BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION Liquid finish or lubricant is commonly applied tofilament bundles as they are formed at a spinning station in order toeliminate static and render the bundle stable so that it can be managedreadily during further handling. The prior art has proposed a variety ofarrangements for this purpose as illustrated, for example, by US. Pat.No. 2,373,078, No. 2,413,413, No. 2,642,035, No. 2,787,980 and No. 3,117,888. In general, such prior art proposals have sought to apply theliquid finish effectively while avoiding excessive application orproviding for recovery of any excess. The present invention improves andfacilitates the finish application over prior art practice as notedfurther below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the finish applicator of thepresent invention is characterized by a body member having a recessopening at and tapering from the top face thereof and an aligned borecontinuing from this recess to the bottom face of the body member,together with an insert member shaped for a sliding and turning 'fit inthe body member bore and for disposition therein from a supporting seatat the base of the body member recess.

The body member is further slotted from top to bottom along one side inintersecting relation with the recess and bore therein, and the insertmember hasa filament bundle passage groove formed sidewise thereinthroughout its length. In addition, means is provided for locating theturned position of the insert member in the body member bore with thegroove in the fonner alternatively aligned with the slot intersectingthe latter or facing oppositely in relation thereto, as well as meansfor channeling liquid finish into the body member recess and drainingthe same into the insert member groove when it is facing oppositely inrelation to the body member slot.

Such an arrangement allows the applicator to be threaded readily byturning the insert member so that the groove therein is aligned with thebody member slot; it also allows the insert member to be removed bysimply lifting it out of the body member whenevereither one needscleaning; and when the insert member groove is turned to its oppositelyfacing position after threading, the filament bundle is surrounded inthe resulting passageway so that the finish application can becontrolled with excellent uniformity as described in detail below inconnection with the accompanying drawmgs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a schematic illustration of thearrangement at a spinning station of a finish applicator embodying thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged central vertical section of the finish applicator;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section detail taken at the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The finish applicator of thepresentinvention is indicated generally in FIG. 1 by the referencecharacter 10 arranged on the filament centerline F below the quench tube12 at the spinnerette of a spinning station.

It will be understood that a group of filaments will have issued fromthe spinnerette and begun to converge as they pass through the quenchtube 12 so as to be gathered as a bundle at the finish applicator l0.Convergence of the filaments to form the bundle or tow strand can beeffected at the entrance end of applicator 10, or a gathering guide (notshown) can be spaced just above applicator 10 for this purpose.

Below applicator 10, the emerging filament bundle with finish appliedthereto is trained from the centerline under a first godet I4 and thenover a second one. 16 for take-up by a winder unit including a traversecam 18, a drive or print roll 20, and a pivoted bobbin or package roll22 in the usual manner.

FIG. 2 details the structure of applicator 10 which is seen to comprisea body member 24 and an insert member 26. The body member 24, which isdetailed further in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, is cylindrical in form and has aconical recess 28 opening at and tapering from its top face to acounterbore 30 at the base of the recess beyond which an aligned bore 32continues to the body member bottom face.

In addition, body member 24 is slotted at 34 from top to bottom alongone side in intersecting relation with the recess. 28, counterbore 30,and bore 32. The slotting at 34 tapers inwardly for most of its lengthfrom a width about equal to the diameter of bore 32 to somewhat lessthan this diameter (e.g., at a 5 taper), while being flared at a lowerend portion 34' (see FIG. 4) that corresponds in extent with the depthof lower face counterboring that forms a peripheral ridge 36 at the bodymember bottom face extending from each side of the slotting 34 at theflared portion 34 and having a bottom edge notch 36 therein locateddiametrically opposite the slotting 34.

At this diametrically opposite side, the body member 24 is also providedadjacent its upper end with a lateral fitting 38 through which a supplychannel 40 extends to intersect the top face recess 28 intermediate itsdepth, and from which point of intersection the recess 28 is grooved asat 42, toward its base and diametrically opposite the slotting 34 (seeFIGS. 4 and 5). I

The insert member 26 of applicator 10' is shaped for a sliding andturning fit in the body member bore 32, and has an upper end flange 44formed thereon for a similar seating fit in counterbore 30 at the baseof recess 28 so as to be supported thereat when disposed in the bore 32.Additionally, insert member 26 has a filament bundle passage groove 46formed sidewise therein and extending throughout its length, includingthe upper end flange 44 at the top face of which a chamfer 46' is formed(see FIGS. 2, 6 and 7) to provide a tapered entrance portion at thegroove 46.

Lengthwise, the insert member 26 is proportioned to extend below bodymember 24 sufficiently to carry a flexible manipulating arm 48 extendinglaterally therefrom opposite the groove 46 and positioned for riding thebody member bottom face ridge 36 in fixed condition so as to snapalternatively into the open space at the bottom end of body member slot34 or into the diametrically opposite notch 36 in ridge 36. Themanipulating arm 48 is suitably formed for this purpose of 18 gaugemusic wire looped to present two parallel legs for anchoring in theinsert member 26 as shown. Finally, it should be noted that the lowerend face of insert member 26 is slanted downwardly at 26' toward thefilament bundle passage groove 46 for a purpose that will appearpresently.

The foregoing arrangement is such that, when the insert member 26 isdisposed within the body member bore 32 with the upper end flange 44thereof seated in the counterbore 30 and the manipulating arm 48 turnedso as to be seated in the bottom edge notch 36', the insert membergroove 46 is aligned at the body member slotting 34 so that a tow strandbundle traveling along the filament line F is readily threaded in theapplicator 10. Once the tow strand bundle has been passed through thebody member slotting 34 and placed in the insert member groove 46, thethreading is completed by simply turning the manipulating arm 48 to itsopposite position at the bottom end of slotting 34 as seen in FIG. 2.

As applicator is disposed for operation so that the filament line F runscentrally through the insert member groove 46 at the FIG. 2 position,the tow strand bundle will hold the insert member 26 at this turnedposition even though the manipulating arm 48 will have some floatingroom at the bottom end of the body member slotting 34. It will berecognized that the flared portion 34' at the lower end of body memberslotting 34 and the illustrated V-shaped form of the bottom edge notch34' facilitate turning of the manipulating arm 48 between theabove-noted threading and operating positions. It will also berecognized that when insert member 26 is in the FIG. 2 position it maybe removed from body member 24 whenever desired'simply by lifting it outof the body member bore 32.

In operation, liquid finish is supplied to applicator 10 at the lateralfitting 38 so as to run through the channel 40 therein to the recessgroove 42 in which it will drain downwardly to the upper chamfered endportion 46' of insert member groove 46 that is aligned at the FIG. 2operating position. The cross section of insert member groove 46 isproportioned so that the tow strand bundle v to be handled will passtherethrough without appreciable drag while substantially filling thesame. For example, a groove 46 about 0.070 inches wide and 0.040

- inches deep has been provided and successfully employed in handling280 filament tow strand havinga spun denier of 1200. In the sameinstance, the insert member 26 was proportioned lengthwise to provide agroove 46 that was 2 inches in length from the top of the upper endflange 44, and the operation was such as to yield an even application ofliquid finish at a desired w.o.f. level without producing any excessfinish at the bottom of applicator 10.

In this latter connection, it should be noted that the slanted lower endface 26' of insert member 26 has an advantageous tendency to cause allapplied finish to leave applicator 10 with the filament bundle. Thecross section and length of insert member groove 46'to be used in anyparticular instance will, of course, depend on the size and character offilament bundle to be handled and the level of finish applicationrequired or desired. mounted drive A metering or gear pump, as indicatedat 50 in FIG. 1, is preferably provided for supplying liquid finish tothe applicator 10. The arrangement diagramed in FIG.

l is intended for use at a spinning line including a plurality ofspinning stations and for which a common supply header 52 may beprovided with individual lines 54 running therefrom to each meteringpump 50 which is in turn connected as at 56 to supply the relatedapplicator l0. Advantageously, each metering pump 50 is pivotallymounted so that its external driven gear 58 may be moved into engagementwith a related drive gear 60 on a common drive shaft 62 comparablyserving the pumps at the other spinning stations. Because operation ofthe supply pumps 50 requires only a relatively low speed at the driveshaft 62, any pump 50 can be readily engaged with its related drive 60by simply pivoting it for such engagement, and can be just as readilydisengaged by pivoting it away. As a result, the supply at anyparticular spinning station can be started and stopped easily andindependently of the other stations. Use of a metering pump 50 alsoallows the supply rate to be set and controlled nicely for the level offinish application desired, and the manner in which the supplied finishis funneled into the insert member groove 46 at its operating positioneffects a much more thorough application to the tow strand bundlesurrounded therein than has heretofore been possible according to priorpractice.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes ofillustration only and is not intended to be limited by this descriptionor otherwise to exclude any variation or equivalent arrangement thatwould be apparent from, or reasonably suggested by, the foregoingdisclosure to the skill of the art.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying liquid finish to a traveling filament bundlecomprising a body member having a recess opening at and tapering fromthe top face thereof and an aligned bore continuing from said taperedrecess to the bottom face of said body member, an insert member shapedfor a sliding and turning fit in said body member bore and fordisposition therein from a supporting seat at the base of said recess,said body member being slotted from top to bottom along one side inintersecting relation with said recess and bore, said insert memberhaving a filament bundle passage groove formed sidewise therin andextending throughout the length thereof, means for locating the turnedposition of said insert member in said body member bore with the groovein the former alternatively aligned with the slot intersectng the latteror facing oppositely in relation thereto, and means for channelingliquid finish into said recess and draining the same into said insertmember groove when it is facing oppositely in relation to said bodymember slot.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein said insert member isshaped with an upper end flange, and a corresponding counterbore isformed at the base of said body member recess to provide the supportingseat for said insert member.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim I and wherein the lower end face ofsaid insert member is slanted downwardly toward the sidewise filamentbundle passage groove therein.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein the lower end of saidinsert member extends below the lower end of said body member and has aflexible manipulating arm extending laterally therefrom beyond said bodymember, the bottom face of said body member having a peripheral ridgeformed thereat from each neling liquid finish thereto and said recess isgrooved from the point of conduit intersection to the insert member seatat the base thereof in alignment with the opposite facing turnedposition of said insert member for draining liquid finish into saidinsert member groove.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein a metering pump isprovided for supplying liquid finish thereto.

1. Apparatus for applying liquid finish to a traveling filament bundlecomprising a body member having a recess opening at and tapering fromthe top face thereof and an aligned bore continuing from said taperedrecess to the bottom face of said body member, an insert member shapedfor a sliding and turning fit in said body member bore and fordisposition therein from a supporting seat at the base of said recess,said body member being slotted from top to bottom along one side inintersecting relation with said recess and bore, said insert memberhaving a filament bundle passage groove formed sidewise therin andextending throughout the length thereof, means for locating the turnedposition of said insert member in said body member bore with the groovein the former alternatively aligned with the slot intersectng the latteror facing oppositely in relation thereto, and means for channelingliquid finish into said recess and draining the same into said insertmember groove when it is facing oppositely in relation to said bodymember slot.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein said insertmember is shaped with an upper end flange, and a correspondingcounterbore is formed at the base of said body member recess to providethe supporting seat for said insert member.
 3. Apparatus as defined inclaim 1 and wherein the lower end face of said insert member is slanteddownwardly toward the sidewise filament bundle passage groove therein.4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein the lower end of saidinsert member extends below the lower end of said body member and has aflexible manipulating arm extending laterally therefrom beyond said bodymember, the bottom face of said body member having a peripheral ridgeformed thereat from each side of the slot therein and said ridge beingnotched diametrically opposite said slot, and said manipulating armbeing positioned for riding said bottom face ridge in flexed conditionso as to snap alternatively into the bottom end of said slot or intosaid ridge notch for locating the alternative turned position of saidinsert member.
 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein a lateralconduit is provided in said body member intersecting said top facerecess intermediate its depth for channeling liquid finish thereto andsaid recess is grooved from the point of conduit intersection to theinsert member seat at the base thereof in alignment with the oppositefacing turned position of said insert member for draining liquid finishinto said insert member groove.
 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 andwherein a metering pump is provided for supplying liquid finish thereto.